Liver disease outbreak

A mysterious outbreak of serious liver disease, or acute hepatitis, is impacting young children in the United States and Europe.

It’s true that a specific strain of adenovirus (41) has been identified in the majority of cases, but if and how this has possibly triggered the illness is not yet known. “We are learning more about the cases of acute hepatitis in children and trying to understand any similarities in cases that could help us to identify them sooner. “Mystery illnesses are generally not common, and it can take some time to notice a pattern in cases if they do not happen within a short timeframe. Medical experts are scrambling to identify the cause of the outbreak. Some common symptoms that have been reported in known cases are the presence of diarrhea and jaundice in the absence of fever. The children’s ages range from 1 month to 16 years old.

A puzzling outbreak of sudden liver disease in nearly 200 children has health authorities in Europe and the U.S. racing to find answers.

It is unknown whether that virus is a cause or is somehow contributing to the outbreak. Some types of the virus can cause colds but authorities are also looking at a version that can cause digestive problems. Hepatitis is usually caused by one of several contagious hepatitis viruses that have not been found in the affected children.

One child has died after a mysterious liver disease outbreak associated with hepatitis has spread across the U.S. and Europe.

“While adenovirus is a possible hypothesis, investigations are ongoing for the causative agent,” WHO said, noting that the virus has been detected in at least 74 of the cases. “It is not yet clear if there has been an increase in hepatitis cases, or an increase in awareness of hepatitis cases that occur at the expected rate but go undetected,” WHO said in a statement. The U.N. health agency said late Saturday that it has so far received reports of at least 169 cases of “acute hepatitis of unknown origin” from a dozen countries.

The World Health Organization says at least one death has been reported in connection with a mysterious liver disease outbreak.

“While adenovirus is a possible hypothesis, investigations are ongoing for the causative agent,” WHO said, noting that the virus has been detected in at least 74 of the cases. “It is not yet clear if there has been an increase in hepatitis cases, or an increase in awareness of hepatitis cases that occur at the expected rate but go undetected,” WHO said in a statement. The U.N. health agency said late Saturday that it has so far received reports of at least 169 cases of “acute hepatitis of unknown origin” from a dozen countries.

A MYSTERIOUS liver disease of unknown origin that is affecting children - and has already resulted in one fatality - may be linked to a viral outbreak, ...

The WHO noted that the UK, the location of the majority of the outbreaks, and the Netherlands have both recently observed a significant increase in adenovirus infections. “With continued new notifications of recent onset cases, at least in the UK, together with more extensive case searching, it is very likely that more cases will be detected before the cause can be confirmed and more specific control and prevention measures can be implemented.” In addition, SARS-CoV-2 — the virus which causes COVID-19 — was identified in 20 of the cases, while 19 presented with a co-infection of adenovirus and SARS-CoV-2. However, doctors have detected adenovirus in 74 of the cases, and identified such as “F type 41” in 18 of these with information on molecular testing. The common viruses that are known to cause acute hepatitis — hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D and E — were not detected in any of the cases, the WHO said. According to the WHO, 169 unexplained cases of acute hepatitis, or liver inflammation, have been reported from across Europe and the Americas as of Friday. These include 114 incidences in the UK, 13 in Spain, 12 in Israel and 9 in the US. The WHO said: “It is not yet clear if there has been an increase in hepatitis cases, or an increase in awareness of hepatitis cases that occur at the expected rate but go undetected.”

British health officials investigating the cause of a spike in acute hepatitis, or liver inflammation, among children said there is increasing evidence it ...

U.S. authorities said earlier this month that they were investigating a cluster of otherwise unexplained hepatitis cases diagnosed in nine Alabama children who also tested positive for adenovirus. Adenovirus, a common group of viruses, is now circulating in children at higher than average levels after dropping to unusually low levels during the pandemic. One avenue of inquiry being explored is that the outbreak may be linked to a surge in common viral infections after COVID-19 restrictions were phased out. The U.N. health agency said it has so far received reports of at least 169 cases of “acute hepatitis of unknown origin,” and that one death had been reported. The U.K. Health Security Agency has recorded 111 cases of unexplained hepatitis in children under 10 since January. Ten of the children needed liver transplants. LONDON (AP) — British health officials investigating the cause of a spike in acute hepatitis, or liver inflammation, among children said there is increasing evidence that it is linked to a common virus.

A child has died in connection with a mysterious liver disease outbreak affecting children in Europe and the United States, the World Health Organization ...

A child has died following a mystery liver disease outbreak we first reported last week. Nine healthy children in Alabama came down with unexplained cases ...

Five had a specific type--Adenovirus 41. Officials haven't said what country the child is from. There are signs of similar cases in the United States and Europe... Causing state and nationwide health alert from the CDC.

Scientists have warned children are more at risk to the disease due to lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to the European Congress of Clinical ...

– tummy pain. Or another co-factor could be a toxin drug or an environmental exposure interacting.” But we have a co-factor affecting a particular age group of young children, which is either rendering that infection more severe or causing it to trigger some kind of an immunopathology.” – muscle and joint pain. Alternatively, a prior infection with Covid or another infection. Dr Chand said: “Clinicians realised we were seeing something unusual…

These children in general tended to be healthy prior to developing hepatitis. And before you start blaming the Covid-19 vaccine, keep in mind that the majority ...

This may be a hepatitis outbreak of unknown origin. “Hepatitis” is a fairly generic term for some kind of inflammation of the liver because “hepa” stands for liver and “itis” means inflammation. Of course, various hepatitis viruses can cause hepatitis such as the hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D, and hepatitis E viruses. For now this hepatitis outbreak remains a bit of a mystery wrapped in an enigma, sprinkled with some WTH. Until more is known about the cause, it’s difficult to know what to do to contain this outbreak. But before you say that you know that it is adenovirus, keep in mind that such severe acute hepatitis would not be a typical presentation for adenovirus type 41. However, of the ones that have, adenovirus type 41 has been found in 18 of the cases. The major concern with hepatitis is the potential for liver damage and even liver failure. While there have been case reports of hepatitis in immunocompromised children with adenovirus infection, adenovirus type 41 is not known to be a cause of hepatitis in otherwise healthy children. Of note, the U.K. has been experiencing an upswing in adenovirus infections in general. While an inflamed nose may be obvious, you shouldn’t be able to see your liver in the mirror or on a selfie unless something has gone horribly wrong. Since then, though, cases have continued to balloon with now at least 114 in the United Kingdom, at least 13 in Spain, at least 12 in Israel, at least nine in the U.S., at least six in Denmark, at least four in The Netherlands, at least four in Italy, at least two in Norway, at least two in France, at least one in Romania, at least one in Belgium, and somewhere between one and four in Ireland. And before you start blaming the Covid-19 vaccine, keep in mind that the majority of these affected children did not even get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Japan reports child with acute liver disease of unknown origin, and Canada investigating similar cases, with nearly 200 now recorded worldwide.

Of 53 cases tested in the UK, 40 (75%) showed signs of adenovirus infection. It did not reveal the number of cases or their location. The UN health agency said the cases were reported in children aged between one month and 16 years.

The mysterious liver disease has so far affected over 170 children, largely in Britain, as health experts explore its possible links to Covid-19.

But right now it's isolated enough and few enough cases not to jump to conclusions," she told CNBC. If this is a more severe form of adenovirus that causes liver disease in children, that's very concerning. However, pandemic restrictions largely limited that early exposure, leading to more serious immune responses in some. Adenoviruses, which present cold-like symptoms such as fever and sore throat, are generally mild. Specifically, they are exploring if a lack of prior exposure to common viruses known as adenoviruses during coronavirus restrictions, or a previous infection with Covid-19, may be related. However, we are thoroughly investigating other potential causes," Meera Chand, UKHSA's director of clinical and emerging infections, said.